In Japan, being an idol is serious business. Getting caught in anything that has the potential of crushing a fan’s dreams could easily result in the idol getting fired. Simple things that common people partake in without as much as a blink of an eye, such as dating, smoking, or even putting on weight, are huge taboos for many members of Japanese idol groups.

But recently, a new idol group that overturns the conventional concept of weight-watching has surfaced. Instead of watching their weight to keep slim, the chubby idols from Chubbiness are required to maintain their well-rounded figures, or risk getting sent out of the group!

The last time we said “behold, the rise of the marshmallow girls“, we meant it. In June last year, music giant Avex collaborated with popular Japanese girls’ fashion magazine CanCam in organizing a Zenkoku Puniko Audition (nationwide chubby girl audition). After stringent selections from a pool of 3,500 applicants, 10 cheerful marshmallow girls made it into the all-rounded idol group, Chubbiness, who are set for their debut as professional artistes in March this year.

In an interview with Nikkan Spa, the reporter notes that all members of Chubbiness enjoy eating and when the conversation revolves around the topic of food, the girls become very lively and happy. Even though they don’t own svelte and slender figures like typical idols do, their friendliness and candid characters make them easy to talk to, and that is one of their charming points as an idol group. The members of Chubbiness also get along very well, and they share very close-knit ties even though the group has only been formed recently, which is a rare sight especially among large idol groups, whose members often end up in fierce competition or politics within the group.